Rin sometimes likes to categorize her days as 'good' and 'bad' based on how she wakes up. On good days, she wakes up alright. On bad days she wakes up with screams ringing in her ears and tears in her eyes.

It's...a spectrum.

It's a bad habit, of course it is, and she knows it. But she can't help it. It's not really fueled by a belief in fate. It's just...a mental preparation. For the heaviness she knows she'll carry around with her for the rest of her day, how hard she'll have to work to drown out the Sanbi. It's not bad most days but the weight of it's chakra itself sometimes feels too much for her.

(Kushina-sensei, in an uncharacteristic bout of poeticness, had once described it as an ebb and flow. There are days when the emotions ebb and days when they flow and it's all about rowing your boat right.

Even now, that sounds more corny than profound. God, she misses Kushina-sensei.)

Today, Rin thinks as she blinks up at the ceiling, should be a good day. An ebb day. It's the one day off she allows herself each week. She'd collapsed into bed after pulling another late shift at the hospital and she certainly can't remember dreaming about anything. So why did she wake up feeling so apprehensive?

She glances at the clock on her bedside table, then at the table calendar right beside it. Her eyes catch on the red-marked date. Ah, that's right. That's why. The meeting's today. Years of pushing and pushing and today she's finally going to get a verdict.

(Odds have never been good to her but hope is a tenacious thing that she's always clung desperately to. What are the odds that she'd make it this far alive, after all?)

Rin sighs as she sits up, tries to push out all her weariness and apprehension out in one exhale, then stretches. She can hear her spine pop. Time to greet the day.

Rin hasn't exactly been out of the village in ages. Between being a med-nin and being...an asset, there's not much opportunity or incentive (all the more reason for the village to deny her, she thinks, then abruptly shoves that thought away).

Nevertheless, Rin likes keeping herself in shape, keeping herself busy. She gives herself one day a week to buy her groceries, polish her weapons, train her jutsu and skills with whoever she can wrangle into helping her. She never takes the same day off. Breaks up the monotony, you know?

Today, she's done with shopping for ingredients—groceries on one hand and herbs in the other, always keep your poisons and food separate—and she's considering coaxing Sasuke and Sakura into getting lunch together with her.

An ill-advised and a little underhanded ploy, probably—she knows the two of them could never really refuse her—but a teacher has to try right?

They're both so...lonely. Desperately lonely children, except one tries to hide it and one refuses to be hurt again. They could be good for each other, Rin knows they could...if only she could make them see it.

(But people only see things when it's too late, she knows this from experience. They'd learnt so late how to be a team, they'd only really had each other for a moment. She wants better for her kids).

Still engrossed in her thoughts, Rin's footsteps automatically take her near the gates of the Academy, where she has to suddenly stop short at the flash of yellow that darts by her.

Her heart freezes.

Slowly, she turns around to see a pair of breath-taking, familiar blue eyes peeking out of a building round the corner. They're not focusing on her though, they're off into something farther in the distance. The Academy gates, she realizes.

It could be worse, she thinks faintly as she gazes at him. He could look exactly like Kushina-sensei. That would be worse right?

Indecision claws at her for a moment. She knows he's been here in Konoha, she know why and she has been meaning to talk to him but...

She's been so busy and tired.

No.

She didn't think there was a point when she couldn't tell him who she was

No.

She was being a coward. That's just it. Sasuke and Sakura are familiar-but-not but this boy. This boy is so, so much closer. Inside her, she can feel the Sanbi rearing its head in interest, sensing her inner turmoil. She clamps it down viciously. Now is not the time to go philosophizing with a Tailed Beast.

Rin has never been a coward in her life, she tells herself firmly. She isn't about to start now.

So she takes a deep breath to steel herself, then steps towards the building.

"Hello," she says, softly.

The boy—Naruto—startles at the sound, bristling for a moment before turning his gaze to her.

"Uh, hi?" he asks, voice open and cheery but gaze a little wary. The sight is so familiar, it feels like the breath has been knocked straight out of her. Rin flounders for a moment, trying to find a topic of conversation. Something that isn't Hi! I'm your dead mother's only surviving student but I'm not really supposed to tell you that so keep it a secret please?

"Is there...a reason you're out of class early? And...hiding?" she asks him because that's much more reasonable.

Naruto's face immediately turns sheepish, one hand going to the back of his head. "Ahahaha...you're not gonna tell Iruka-sensei, are you?"

"Depends," she pretends to consider, narrowing her eyes, "on the reason."

Naruto narrows his eyes in return. For a moment they simply consider each other. Then he bursts out—

"I'm trying to escape this girl who has a crush on me okay?"

Rin blinks. Well, okay. That's...strange. "Shouldn't boys your age be more into that kind of thing?"

"Yes. No. Maybe, I dunno!" He fails his hands exaggeratedly, before peeking around the building. "It's just—She stalks me! And like, drags me off to train and stuff! She invited me to dinner with her parents! I'm not ready for dinner! She's a menace! A wild, pink menace!"

Rin blinks again. Surely he can't mean…? Oh, she has to find out more about this. Luckily, she thinks she might have an offer he can't ignore.

"Hey, um, kid. You look like you could use some girl advice, and I might be able to help. How about I treat you to some ramen?"

"Woaaaaaahhh!" Naruto says through a mouthful of ramen. "So you're Sasuke's teacher? Like you taught him all that poison and medicine and stuff? He gave me some, that's so cool!"

Rin has to smile at his enthusiasm. "Yes, I did. Sasuke's been in the med-nin program for a pretty long time."

"And you teach Sakura too? But that's kinda unfair, isn't it? She's not a med-nin. How come she gets special treatment like that?"

"It's not unfair," Rin shakes her head. "It's...just how it is sometimes. Academy students get training from their clan members all the time. I'm not a clan member of course, but I am a family friend. The Academy is mostly supplementary when it comes to clan children."

"Like the Hyuga!" Naruto nods in sudden understanding. "Hinata always fights with a completely different style! Always wondered about that. Sorry," he adds, when he catches Rin looking at him. "I'm kinda new in town I guess? Never really been to a big village like this before."

And oh, how Rin's heart aches for him. This should have been his home.

"Don't apologize, Naruto," she tells him and, before she can think better of it, reaches out to pat his hair. Naruto freezes beneath her touch before relaxing. For a moment, they don't speak. The only sound is of Naruto hurriedly shoving more ramen into his mouth. Then he wipes his mouth on his sleeve.

"So, uh, Rin-san," he says awkwardly. "Since you're Sakura's teacher and all, would you mind—could you please tell her that I don't feel the same way so can she please leave me alone please?"

Rin laughs out loud at that, she can't help herself. Despite listening to Naruto's enthusiastic list of evidence as they walked to Ichiraku's—she corners him after class, she trails him, she asks to train with him!—Rin can't believe that Sakura has a crush on this boy. She knows Sakura doesn't do crushes.

Sakura...only ever really craves attention.

"I don't think that's it, Naruto-kun," she tells him honestly, trying to find the best way to phrase it. "Sakura-chan. I think she just wants to be your friend. She's interested in you, for some reason."

Naruto groans. "Her interest is troublesome," he pouts. The sight makes something in Rin's chest curl up with fondness.

"I know," Rin replies patiently. "I know it can be, but Sakura...she's always been a bit of a lonely child. As her teacher, you don't know how happy it makes me to hear about her seeking you out."

This whole time, Rin has been pushing Sasuke and Sakura together but the two of them have never seemed to mesh well. Naruto, though. Naruto with his bright smiles and boisterous laughter. He could be just what her other two children need. And...he could need them too.

It's strange, how the three of them seemed to have found each other without Rin's help after all.

"Naruto-kun," she continues seriously. "I know Sakura can be a bit much sometimes. But I would appreciate it if you didn't push her away. It's not always easy being alone."

When Naruto continues frowning at his bowl of ramen, Rin hastily adds, "You don't have to, of course! I mean if—if you feel uncomfortable—"

"No," Naruto interrupts, voice suddenly pensive. "No, it's fine. I think I get what you mean."

Rin's shoulders sag in relief. "Oh. Well, I'm glad. Thank you, Naruto-kun."

"Mm-hmm," Naruto slurps the last of his ramen, not quite meeting her eyes. There's another lull in the conversation. Then suddenly, Naruto perks up again.

"Hey! If you're Sakura's teacher, that must mean you taught her—"

"Yes?" Rin prompts him when he cuts himself off.

Something changes in Naruto's eye. A critical look taking over as he rakes his gaze over her. "Nothing," he shakes his head, standing up and cracking his knuckles. "Never mind. Don't worry Rin-san! Sakura's safe with me!" He puffs out his chest. "I'll see you around, yeah? Hey, maybe you can show me some moves sometime! But I gotta go right now, I promised I'd go bird-watching with Shikamaru today!"

And just like that, he's gone, racing out of the shop. Rin stares out behind him. That was...quite the 180.

Behind her, she can hear Teuchi snort. "Really reminds you of someone, huh?" he asks her with a knowing smile.

Rin turns her gaze to her hands.

"Yes, he really does."

Rin ends up not looking for Sasuke and Sakura after that. Even they deserve a break from her once a week and Naruto's given her something to think about. Or dream about more accurately. She can almost see it, the four of them. She wants it,so very, very badly. To teach them, to lead them.

(It's a stupid pipe dream but Sasuke and Sakura...teaching them feels like redemption. Feels like setting things right. Maybe it's selfish but Rin's lost everything to this village. She's allowed to be selfish just this once.)

She heads back home to drop off her supplies, then loiters around the memorial stone for a while before finally, finally, it's time for her to visit the Hokage's office.

She enters after knocking, then bows deeply.

"Hokage-sama," she greets softly, politely.

He's the only one in the room, puffing slowly on his pipe, silhouetted by the setting sun. No Danzo, no advisors. Rin's not sure what to make of that.

"Your request," the Sandaime declares through a puff, "has been reviewed. I hope you know, you asked for quite a lot. There was much opposition to your proposal."

Rin straightens her back, her arguments ready, "Hokage-sama," she says, "I know that it's—it's unorthodox but I firmly believe—"

The Sandaime raises a hand. Rin falls silent, heart thumping in her chest. It isn't fair, she thinks. She's allowed to want.

"Calm yourself," he says. "Your request has been reviewed…" he motions to a file on his desk. "And approved."

Rin almost chokes. 'Hokage-sama?" she asks, fearful and tentative because it's too good, just too good to be true—

(When have things ever gone right for her?)

He motions again, and Rin takes one apprehensive step forward after another until she's finally flipping the file open with trembling hands.

"Hokage-sama…"

"I am choosing to trust you," the Sandaime tells her seriously. "I am choosing to put our brightest embers in your care. To keep the Will of Fire burning. This hasn't been an easy decision for me," and Rin understands the implication, that there has been a political cost to his decision. "So I hope you won't disappoint me."

Rin bows as deeply as she can, file still clutched to her chest. "I understand Hokage-sama! I swear, I won't let you down!"

The Sandaime smiles, tired but sincere and warm.

"Then rise Nohara Rin, and prepare well. You don't have much time until the end of the academic year," he says ruefully, "And Konoha's Genin Team Sevens have a history of being a handful."

A/N: I LIVE. AND ARRIVE WITH A LACKLUSTER CHAPTER. I'M SORRY!

Life's been pretty busy ngl. Entrance exams and applications and I'm also moving to Japan y'all! For my undergrad! Wish me luck! Other than that, I've recently gotten into a couple of new fandoms, namely Persona 5 and BNHA, so if you like those, check out my fics for them?

I like the idea of a notorious Team Seven curse going around, like the number 10 jersey in football except...not as positive xDD

Finally know, lemme if you spot any typos!

Also what's this? Is Sakura stalking Naruto? Maybe trying to ferret out the secrets of his fighting style? Hmmmm